Skateboarding has progressed from casually riding on a skateboard to stunts, tricks and maneuvering the skateboard in many ways such as kicks, flips, jumps, spins . . . etc. This new maneuvering and riding of the skateboard has been known to cause excessive and severe damage to many areas of the rider's shoes due to the surface that the rider is on, and the manipulation of the skateboard with the rider's feet. On the top of the skateboard is “grip tape” which is essentially sandpaper. This grip tape, when it comes in comes in contact with the skateboarder's shoe during the tricks and maneuvers, adds traction to the shoe in order for the rider to perform the tricks. This grip tape also causes tearing and major wear to several areas of the shoe. The main areas of the shoe that is affected are the outside upper of the shoe, the laces of the shoe, the ball area of the sole as well as the heel and heel area of the sole. In addition, the soles of the rider's shoe is susceptible to wear from the grip tape and the hard surfaces on which the rider is skating on when his is riding and performing these tricks and stunts, for example: concrete, blacktop, hardwood etc. Within a short time, the skateboarder has worn his shoe down so much that he will need to replace the shoe because it is no longer usable or safe to use. In this day and age, a skate shoe can range in cost from $40 to over $100 per pair.
The current products on the market provide some protection of the upper Portion of the shoe, but not to the bottom of the shoe. These “patches” are affixed to the shoe with adhesive glues or other types of adhesive means. Additional prior art shows a product that protects the front area of the shoe. Another product is a type of glue or rubber cement that is applied to the area of the upper portion of the shoe that dries to form a barrier where the wear is prevalent.
The current products as stated above are semi-permanent fixes that are mostly not removable from the shoe. These products, such as the adhesive patches, cannot be removed once applied and do not last very long. They do not allow the skateboarder to wear it for any other use than to skateboard since the shoe is altered and not very visually appealing. They do not protect all areas of the shoe where damage and wear is prevalent. The glue/rubber cement product also is not removable once applied. This product takes time to dry before the rider can wear the shoes to skateboard. Although it can be placed on most areas where the damage is prevalent. It is very messy and does not provide the best protection. It is a very temporary fix to the problem. These products are not removable nor are they reusable. Other products that may be found in prior art are made to be applied due to the size of the shoe and need to be purchased using the shoe size specifically or a small range of sizes.